Victims of the Night
by the-original-catalyst
Summary: Wherein Crow is ace and always the life of the party, Yusei is bi and loves Crow more than he hates clubs, and Judai is super super gay for the spiky haired guy falling asleep at the bar. (Starshipping club AU with hints of a deeper backstory I haven't written anything for yet : ) Crossposted from AO3)


Yusei didn't drink. He didn't really see the appeal in it, at least not for himself. Once he had more than a few drinks, he was known to fall asleep on the bar until the rest of the people he'd come with came to get him. And yet, he still woke up with a hangover the next day. If all he got out of drinking was a nap and a headache, well, where was the appeal in that? He could get both of those at home just as easily. It'd probably be cheaper too.

So there were evenings like this one, where Crow had dragged him to some new club downtown. Being the resident party animal, Crow knew every club and bar in the area like the back of his hand, and could recommend, compare, and critique any of them off the top of his head - the fact that he held this particular one in high esteem meant there must be something to it. They'd been there for maybe fifteen, twenty minutes, and Crow was already on the dance floor with a drink in his hands. There was a girl standing next to him: very tall, very lean, and very interested. Despite how uncomfortable Yusei knew he must be feeling, Crow always seemed to take all the flirting in stride a lot better when he was intoxicated. Yusei felt confident that he could handle it on his own. He made sure to occasionally glance over, just in case his friend did need a rescue party. So far, though, he was handling the situation with his own brand of half-drunk grace.

Yusei leaned against the bar, side-eyeing the crowd without much interest. The club was crowded tonight, the dance floor jam-packed with sweaty, shifting bodies. The sight made him sigh. Why was he even here? It's not like he was going to strike up a conversation with someone. What was the point in his friends dragging him places when he didn't enjoy any of the things they took him to? He reminded himself not for the first time to talk to Crow about it. He'd understand... If Yusei ever said anything, that was.

"Now, what is a hot guy like yourself doing sitting all by his lonesome?"

Restraining his outward reaction, Yusei glanced to his side. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at what - or rather, who - he saw.

Yusei had certainly been hit on before - by women and men alike - and they all tended to be similar. They tended to run together in his memory, especially because he hadn't held any interest in reciprocating any of their advances. They were like the woman that had been dancing with Crow earlier, in some ways: conventionally attractive, commandeering, perhaps even slightly abrasive. They gave off an air of power, usually, something that Yusei didn't find attractive in the slightest. It was off-putting to him. This guy, though, definitely wasn't like that. There was something about the ease in his smile, as if it belonged there. He was leaning against the bar with a hand on his hip, studying Yusei with a gentle kind of interest. There wasn't any hunger in his gaze, but curiosity. The thin gleam of sweat and the rise and fall of his chest told Yusei that he probably came right off the dance floor, and his wild hair - seemingly having been smoothed down with water - was already starting to frizz again.

Yusei couldn't help but be intrigued; every part of this man told a story, and yet he felt he was only scratching the surface.

He considered lying in response to the question that hung in the air, but found himself not wanting to. What reason did he have to lie to this guy? "Wondering what he's doing here," he replied, sipping from his water.

The mystery man laughed, a wholesome, amusing sound. "Fair enough." He flagged the bartender down and asked for a water (Odd, Yusei would have pegged him for the drinking type), and happily plopped himself down on the seat at the bar beside Yusei.

"So," he continued, thanking the bartender for the bottle and cracking it open. "A friend drag you here, then?"

He raised the bottle as if to toast, and Yusei gave him an odd look, but indulged him regardless. While the other took a long drink, Yusei simply put his down, shrugging half-heartedly. "Definitely wouldn't be here on my own. This... isn't really my speed."

"What is, then?"

Just when Yusei was about to give a vague answer, a thought occurred to him. "What do you care, anyway?" He asked, giving his companion a sideways glance. "I don't know you, and I don't think you know me."

The guy, oddly enough, smiled at that. "You're right! At the moment, we are total strangers." He turned so he was facing Yusei head on, gesturing with the water bottle held by the arm leaning against the bar counter. He tapped the side of his head with it, as if it were the light bulb going off over his head. "Let's try this." He presented his free hand, holding it out. "The name's Judai."

Hesitant, Yusei took it. "Yusei."

"Alright Yusei. Now we're acquaintances." Yusei couldn't help but wonder if this Judai ever stopped smiling. Judging from the way that grin seemed to belong on his face, he doubted it. "You wanna know why I'm here, Yusei? The night is young, and so are we, and I saw an attractive guy in a club looking bored out of his mind. As someone who has both been in your shoes and is known for being a walking good time, I thought the least I could do was come over and say hi." He reclined a bit in his seat, crossing his legs at the knee. His head was cocked to the side, his grin softening into a pleasant smile. "Now that you've intrigued me, I've promised myself I'd dance with you. If you want, of course."

Now that was something Yusei had not been expecting. Judai seemed forward, sure, but... "I... don't really dance."

"What a coincidence! Neither do I. Frankly I'm shit at it. C'mon, let's go."

Still taken aback, but not entirely opposed, Yusei allowed himself to be dragged onto the crowded dance floor. Thankfully, he wasn't taken into the very heart of it, just along the outside. Judai gave him a reassuring smile and started to move, ushering Yusei into doing the same.

Judai's laugh seemed to drown out everything around them, including the bass-heavy music thumping from the speakers and reverberating in his chest. "When you say you don't dance, you meant it, huh?"

Yusei felt a head rise up in his cheeks. He rationalized it as part of the heat radiating off the people within close proximity of them. After all, what reason would he have to feel embarrassed?

"Here, lemme show you..."

When Yusei looked back, Judai had settled into a slow sway, his eyes slipping shut as he moved with the music. It wasn't much and yet Yusei was hypnotized by the small movements. As the music changed, so did he, adjusting the way his body moved accordingly, as if he could predict what he needed to do to keep with the beat. I... thought he said he was bad at this...

When the song ended, Judai opened his eyes. "The key is to not think too much," he offered, a hand resting on his hips. Oh, sure. When you put it like that. A soft smattering of pink had settled over his cheeks, and the only word Yusei could think of in response was cute. "You just gotta, y'know. Go with it."

Yusei blinked at him. Judai laughed.

"Yeah, I took you for the over-thinking type."

Suddenly, the space between them seemed to shrink, almost to the point of nonexistence. The air thickened around them, making it hard to breathe. He opened his mouth to say something, to ask for some space maybe, but his mouth felt so dry that no words came out. Nothing did. He simply stood there, gaping. Judai smiled at him, throwing his arms around Yusei's waist casually. Yusei's heart jumped at the contact.

Judai paused for a moment, giving Yusei a questioning look. For the first time that night, Yusei saw doubt in those bright eyes.

Taking his lip between his teeth, Yusei placed his hands on Judai's shoulders. The doubt in Judai's eyes disappeared immediately, replaced by the same light from before. Back where it belonged. That alone helped Yusei relax a bit. "Don't think, okay? Just watch me."

Yusei offered no reply, simply watching the way Judai moved and trying to copy it as best he could. He didn't realized they'd been moving closer until Judai's thigh brushed against his. They'd settled into a slow sway, not quite up to tempo with the music. Judai's fingers were drumming lightly on Yusei's side.

"... you're holding back on me," Yusei observed, intrigued.

With another laugh, Judai pressed even closer, the heat in his chest lending itself to the feeling of suffocation. For whatever reason, Yusei didn't find it in himself to be bothered by that.

When Judai spoke, it was barely above a whisper, and yet it rang loud and clear, the words gliding across Yusei's face on a warm puff of air. "Just shut up and dance with me, will ya?" Somehow, those fingers had worked their way into Yusei's belt loops, using that to pull him closer. The way the shorter man's breath fanned over his chin served to spread the blush all across his face. Hooded eyes stared up at him, and though height had never been a factor for Yusei, it felt like Judai's head would fit perfectly in the curve of his shoulder. He offered a smirk that both reassured and enthralled Yusei. "Relax, babe."

Yusei shuddered despite himself. This was going to be an interesting night.


End file.
